Friday, January 12, 2007

It's hard to read AlanDershowitz's denunciation of former President Jimmy Carter without getting asinking feeling. Dershowitz summarizes the huge sums which investigativejournalists now say Jimmy Carter received from Arab and Islamic sources. Andthey are considerable. The Saudis bailed out his peanut farm in 1976. Theinfamous BCCI and Saudi billionaire Gaith Pharaon actually helped with thestartup funding of the Carter Center. Carter himself is quoted fulsomelythanking Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, the long time ruler of the UAE,for donating half a million dollars. From what is known Carter has received tensof millions of dollars from Arab and Islamic sources. And that, arguesDershowitz, is behind the former President's tireless campaigning againstIsrael. He says so in the most brutal and accusatory terms: "Carter ... hasbeen bought and paid for by anti-Israel Arab and Islamic money." But it isone of Dershowitz's sources, Dr.Rachel Ehrenfeld, who provides the most food for thought: "seems thatAIPAC's (American-Israel Political Action Committee) real fault was its failureto outdo the Saudi's purchases of the former president's loyalty". Thesinking feeling is the realization that this is what political viewpoints mightcome down to.

No kidding. My take on Jimmy Carter was always that he was a sincere guy, had the best of intentions, 'too nice for the job of President' and all that jazz. Illusions die hard, and leave bitter feelings.

It's hard to read AlanDershowitz's denunciation of former President Jimmy Carter without getting asinking feeling. Dershowitz summarizes the huge sums which investigativejournalists now say Jimmy Carter received from Arab and Islamic sources. Andthey are considerable. The Saudis bailed out his peanut farm in 1976. Theinfamous BCCI and Saudi billionaire Gaith Pharaon actually helped with thestartup funding of the Carter Center. Carter himself is quoted fulsomelythanking Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, the long time ruler of the UAE,for donating half a million dollars. From what is known Carter has received tensof millions of dollars from Arab and Islamic sources. And that, arguesDershowitz, is behind the former President's tireless campaigning againstIsrael. He says so in the most brutal and accusatory terms: "Carter ... hasbeen bought and paid for by anti-Israel Arab and Islamic money." But it isone of Dershowitz's sources, Dr.Rachel Ehrenfeld, who provides the most food for thought: "seems thatAIPAC's (American-Israel Political Action Committee) real fault was its failureto outdo the Saudi's purchases of the former president's loyalty". Thesinking feeling is the realization that this is what political viewpoints mightcome down to.

No kidding. My take on Jimmy Carter was always that he was a sincere guy, had the best of intentions, 'too nice for the job of President' and all that jazz. Illusions die hard, and leave bitter feelings.